Australia vs Pakistan 2016/17: David Warner Confident of Striking Form At The MCG
Dec 24, 2016 at 12:23 PM
Australia’s aggressive opening batsman David Warner is confident enough that his Test form will return soon after going through a lean patch in the 2016 Test cricket calendar.
“It’s a little bit of a cycle I think,” Warner admitted about his poor run of form, while speaking ahead of the second Test (Boxing Day) against Pakistan at Melbourne.
Suffering from a slump in longer format of the game, the flamboyant left-hander has just two fifties to his name in his past nine Tests, spread over 17 innings.
“I go out there every time to try and put as many runs on the board as I can — same mindset, same process I go through with training,” Warner said.
Given this, Warner had scored 1317 runs in 13 Test matches in 2015 at an average of 54.87 with four hundreds.
“At the moment I’m hitting them well enough in the nets and not making them in the middle. The tide will change, many players before have experienced the same thing, he said.
In 2016, he has played 10 Tests with one to go this season and scored 604 runs at an average of 35.52.
“I’ve just got to keep a level head, a cool head and make sure I watch every ball as hard and as closely as I can,” he added.
Giving his everything on field, the 30-year-old Warner will try hard to be among runs on the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan, which is scheduled between December 26-30 at the MCG.
After the day-night Test at the Gabba, there were speculations that batting all-rounder Hilton Cartwright will be used as a fifth option to lessen the burden of the trio of Jackson Bird, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc.
“I haven’t seen much of him. I don’t think I’ve played a game against Hilton that I can remember,” Aussie vice-captain Warner remarked while backing medium pacer.
It proved right when 24-year-old Cartwright was drafted by Cricket Australia (CA) into the Boxing Day Test squad, who’s likely to replace Nic Maddinson – who has struggled to so far in his short Test career.
“He [Hilton] looks a good player. He’s obviously scored some runs and he’s good with the ball. If he gets his chance I’m sure he’ll go out there and give 100 per cent,” Warner concluded.